Three men hold family hostage during Bucks County robbery

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, Pa. ó A PNC Bank teller in Bristol Borough was perplexed by a manís hasty request to withdraw $80,000 from his account on Monday. The tellerís confusion turned into alarm when the customer explained that he needed to withdraw the money because he had family and friends held hostage in his Bristol Township Apartment.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Orlando McNeil of Levittown, had heard of a ďhustlerĒ living in the Levittown Trace apartments on the 3000 block of Ford Road, so he allegedly recruited Dennis Reading and Daesean Smith of Philadelphia to rob him in his home Sunday night.

Initially, the plan was to lure one of the adult male victims to the Glen Hollow Apartments and rob him, but the victim refused to leave his home. Reading and Smith, who were armed with handguns, burst into the home that had four adults and three young girls that were 1, 2, and 4 years old, respectively. While Reading and Smith went in the home, McNeil waited in a black SUV outside. After taking some items and money, including the victimís cell phones, the alleged robbers learned of an even bigger score.

ďThe suspects learned that the victim had more money than anticipated,Ē Lt. Terry Hughes said.

Advertisement

One of the victims inside the home had recently acquired an $80,000 cash award as life insurance from his mother passing away. In the affidavit, McNeil is said to have known two of the victims, but told police he did not know about the insurance payout and did not know about the victim who was sent to the bank, pinning it on his accomplices.

The suspects held the victims hostage overnight until the bank opened the next day. During that time the adult victims were forced to strip and duct tape was put over the mouths of the male victims. The children were not forced to strip and did not have duct tape on their mouths. None of the victims were injured in the nine-hour incident.

On Monday morning, the victim that received the life insurance award was sent to the bank to retrieve the $80,000 for the suspects. The teller at the bank told the victim that they could not make that transaction, but gave him $1,500 and notified police.

Bristal Township Police notified the Bucks County Sheriffs and police departments in Bensalem and the Levittown and Tullytown area while sending an unmarked car to Levittown Trace. Police found McNeil in the SUV and place him under arrest. Reading and Smith led police on a foot chase where they discarded their handguns, proceeds from the robbery and tools used for restraining the victims. Police arrested the suspects and recovered the items before they could escape the apartments complex.

All three suspects face a slew of charges with seven counts on charges related to robbery, kidnapping, burglary and unlawful restraint. They are being held in the Bucks County Correction Center on $1 million bail.